Guild Wars 2 Info

[chaos5061]

Servers Live GO GO GO.

[chaos5061]

Make sure to update the client today before the stress test begins.

[chaos5061]

Whohooooooo!!!!!

Guild Wars 2 Release Date August 28th: http://www.arena.net/blog/announcing...-2-launch-date

Also last beta weekend event is July 20-22.

[chaos5061]

Earlier this year I told you that 2012 would be the Year of the Dragon, and that the next few betas would help us nail down our actual launch date. Well, after the results of our latest stress test, I’m happy to announce that we’re ready to nail down that date.
Guild Wars 2 will officially launch on Tuesday, August 28th.
This is an incredibly momentous day for the studio and for me personally. This journey began in 2007 when we first announced that we were beginning work on Guild Wars 2 and that you wouldn’t be hearing from us for a while. Then in 2010 we unveiled our manifesto for Guild Wars 2: a living breathing online world that challenges convention, that’s designed for fun instead of grind, and that brings social interaction to a new level in an online world.
Through all the long hours and hard decisions, we were bolstered by the knowledge that we were not in this alone. All along you’ve been there for us, cheering us on, supporting us when we needed it, testing early versions of the game, and above all, giving us your honest feedback every step of the way. Guild Wars 2 is a better game for all of the work that our community has put in.
Now that we’re just two months away from launch, we’ll spend our remaining time optimizing, polishing, and balancing the game, to ensure that we provide you with the best launch-day experience we possibly can.
To this end, I’m excited to announce that our next and final Beta Weekend Event is planned for July 20-22.
These are exciting times; we’re on the cusp of a new era in online roleplaying games, and we’re glad you’re on this journey with us.
We’ll see you in-game.

[cabby]

So, is GW2 based on PvP?

[chaos5061]

The main focus of the game is. There is PVE and plenty for PVEers to do but they have stated that just like Guild Wars 1 it will be mainly revolving around PVP and that's what their focus is. They want to get into E-Sports.

[chaos5061]

[chaos5061]

For our final Beta Weekend Event (July 20-22), we’re making the asura and sylvari races available to beta players for the first time. Players will be able to create characters from any of the five main races of Tyria—human, norn, charr, asura, and sylvari—and begin their Guild Wars 2 experience in any of the five radically different home regions.
For asura players, this means beginning your tale in Metrica Province, a vivid, exotic jungle area full of high-tech laboratories, quirky golems, and competing krewes of mad scientists. Nearby, the massive monoliths of the asuran capital Rata Sum hum with technomagical power. These diminutive geniuses may seem cute at first glance, but never underestimate an asura…
Sylvari players begin their story in the Grove, a luminous living city nestled in the shade of the Pale Tree, the “mother” of every member of this young race of plant humanoids. The sylvari are an enigmatic race of chivalrous explorers who are driven by an insatiable curiosity and guided by a collective Dream.

If you’ve played in previous beta events, you know that each playable race has its own distinct regions, signature city, and personal storyline options. But above all, each race in Guild Wars 2 has its own identity, and the asura and sylvari perfectly illustrate this.
We can’t wait to see players drinking in the mystical atmosphere of the Grove or stopping alchemagical experiments running amok in Metrica Province during our last Beta Weekend Event before launch. If you want to reserve a spot in the beta, pre-purchase your copy of Guild Wars 2 today.

We’ll see you in-game on July 20-22! Excelsior!

[silverhawk11]

I'll be attending the beta weekend this weekend on my friend's account. This will determine if I'm going to actually purchase GW2 or not. I played the first one, loved it, and was one of the first level 20s around, but I just couldn't stand the end-game of GW, so I eventually quit shortly before Factions came out. I still played, just not as often. Hope it's good :-).

[chaos5061]

I like it. If you want to know more about PVE and it's end game watch this:

[chaos5061]

Create an Asura or Sylvari Character

Beta players will be able to create asura and sylvari characters for the first time this weekend, exploring each race’s fantastical home region, and experiencing the unique storyline options available to these races.Lore and Continuity Writer Ree Soesbee, who was intimately involved with the creation of the sylvari, has high hopes for the debut of Tyria’s enigmatic race of humanoid plants.“I hope players come away from this weekend with a better sense of the sylvari as a race—their personalities, quirks, interests, and setting,” Ree says. “I hope they’ll love the sylvari voices—the PC ones, in particular, are amazing!—and getting to see the Grove and soak in all its wonders. Personally, I look forward to hearing how players respond to the somewhat inhuman visual choices available for sylvari PCs—something that our artists worked very hard to create. It’s difficult to balance beautiful and not-quite-human!”Players will also be able to create asuran characters for the first time this beta weekend.Matt Barrett, the concept artist largely responsible for creating the asuran architecture, is confident that beta players will enjoy exploring Metrica Province and monolithic Rata Sum or matching wits with the treacherous Inquest. “Making the visually and culturally distinctive world of the asura was a huge, complex job, and I think players will be as intrigued by the asura as I was,” Matt says. “My challenge for beta players is to really explore the breadth and depth of their unique civilization and make the most of your chance to uncover the secrets of the asura.”

Brand-New Map – Brisban Wildlands

This brand-new map, recommended for players level 17-20, makes its debut this weekend.

“Brisban Wildlands is a remote jungle adjacent to the lands of the asura, sylvari, and humans. For decades the only inhabitants have been a few asura labs too secretive or volatile to occupy space near Rata Sum, and an ever-multiplying population of skritt. Protected by the secluded jungle, the skritt built the city of Skrittsburgh, and have attained an order of civility little seen in other areas of Tyria.“Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before outlaws began taking advantage of Brisban’s isolated location. The Inquest, Nightmare Court, and human bandits now flood the area, preying on skritt and disrupting lab operations. Worse still, each of these groups seem to have their own dark intentions—plots that could be catastrophic if left unchecked.
“The need for heroes is so great that many sylvari have been led to the jungle on their wyld hunts. Recognizing their common goals, the Peacemakers, wyld hunt valiants, and Seraph have pooled their resources in an attempt to keep Brisban Wildlands from falling to criminals.”

-Kim Kirsch, Game Designer

Get Ready to Keg Brawl!

Introducing the first minigame activity playable in a beta weekend—the wildly popular, incredibly macho norn pastime known as Keg Brawl!Activities like Keg Brawl are fun minigames that are available in many Tyrian cities. In the great norn settlement of Hoelbrak, players can speak to the Brewer NPC in the northwest corner to begin the game.In Keg Brawl, two teams attempt to score points by toting a full keg of ale across an icy lake and turning it in to the Ale Collector that belongs to their team. Participants are free to tackle, pummel, kick, and otherwise rough up competing players in order to seize control of the keg.Keg Brawl—you’ll never look at a keg of ale the same way again!

Kick Back and Enjoy the Vista

There’s so much to see in Tyria that sometimes you just want to pull over to the side of the proverbial road and admire the view. For this Beta Weekend Event, we’re introducing vistas, a new feature for sightseers, explorers, and those who just enjoy drinking in the view.

“Many of you have already spent some time exploring the world of Tyria battling through bandits, ghosts, and even other players. But how often did you get the chance to just sit back and look at the handcrafted beauty of the game? In the upcoming beta weekend, you’ll have the chance to do just that with our new vista feature.“Vistas are a new addition to our map completion progress. We’ve placed visual cues of these hidden locations throughout the world. Once you have located and navigated to the vista, simply interact with it to activate a sweeping panoramic cinematic of the area.
“But don’t take my word for it; check out this vista from Hoelbrak below. Enjoy!”

-Crystal Reid, Level Designer

[chaos5061]

New PvP Map – Legacy of the Foefire

We’re introducing a brand-new player-versus-player map this weekend that we call “Legacy of the Foefire,” which draws some inspiration from the lore and design of the original Guild Wars. As with all PvP maps, players will battle over three capture points, but this new map includes NPC guards and team “guild lords,” powerful NPCs that are worth a lot of points… if you can manage to kill them.“I think fans of Guild Wars will particularly appreciate the background of Foefire,” Game Designer Jonathan Sharp says. “And I think they’ll find the map layout reminiscent of some classic Guild Wars maps.”

More World vs. World

WvW isn’t just about spectacular sieges or brutal clashes between armies of players; there’s plenty for the small team or single player to do.This beta weekend we’re introducing objectives for solo players called sentries. As you can imagine from the name, sentries are solitary NPC guards located on a capture point that are worth points if you can take them out. But be warned—sentries are no pushovers!

Reminder: Beta Info Will Be Deleted

Before and immediately following this final Beta Weekend Event we’ll delete all existing beta information. Every beta character and all information or items associated with them will be deleted before Headstart Access and launch occurs. However, we will be preserving your beta account’s contact list so you can easily connect with your fellow beta gamers during Headstart Access or after launch.

Gem Store is Open for Business!

During the beta weekend, we’ll test our secure Gem Store billing system in a live environment, which means you can purchase gems with your credit card or through PayPal.As we mentioned earlier, we’re wiping all our beta data before launch—including items purchased this weekend—but we’ll keep a record of how many gems you’ve purchased during beta events. When Guild Wars 2 launches on August 28, you’ll receive those gems back on your account.

Guild Wars 2 Beta Livestream on Twitch TV

Throughout the beta weekend, ArenaNet devs will be livestreaming GW2 gameplay on Twitch TV. From combat tips to PvP match commentary, our developers will give you a deeper insight into the game and will take your questions in the chat channel during each stream.For more information, check out Twitch TV’s Guild Wars 2 channel.

[chaos5061]

Since our last Beta Weekend Event we’ve made quite a few changes and improvements to both the trading post and our world transfer system. We’ll also have special daily sales going on in the Gem Store throughout the Beta Weekend Event. Read on for more information!

Remember: You will be charged for all gem purchases made during the Beta Weekend Event, but any gems you purchase will be credited to your account when GW2 launches. You’ll find all the details right here in our Gem Store FAQ.

World Transfer
World transfer will be free and unlimited from Noon July 20 to 6:00 PM Pacific on July 21. After this period, you’ll need to spend gems for a transfer. Transfers will still be unlimited. The gem costs for a world transfer after 6:00 PM Pacific on July 21:
1800 gems to transfer to a high population world
1000 gems to transfer to a medium population world
500 gems to transfer to a low population world
Trading Post
Dyes are now tradable in the Black Lion Trading Post.
All items for sale must be posted for a unit price that is above the vendor value of the item (if the item has a vendor value).
Daily Gem Store – 20% Off
Each day during the Beta Weekend Event we’ll offer a different item on sale for 20% off in the Gem Store. All sales begin and end at midnight of each day.

[chaos5061]

Purchasing Gems during Beta Weekend Event 3
This upcoming Beta Weekend Event—July 20 to July 22—we will test our Gem Store billing system in a live environment. While we won’t give away any free gems for the beta, you can purchase gems via the Gem Store that will carry over to your account when Guild Wars 2 launches.
Here are a couple of points to keep in mind:
Any gems you purchase are bound to the account you bought them on.
If you play on a promotional account, such as those created with press- or BWE3-specific keys, you will need to add a retail key to that account to be able to access the gems when the game launches.
To add a retail key to your account, please follow these steps:
Go to https://register.guildwars2.com.
Enter your key in the field and click “Yes” when asked if you have a Guild Wars account. (The account you created with your promotional key is your Guild Wars account.)
Enter the e-mail address and password you used when you registered your promotional key and created your initial account and click “Next.”
FAQ
Q: How do I get gems during the Beta Weekend Event?
A: You will be able to purchase gems from our secure in-game Gem Store with your credit card or through PayPal.
Q: Is it safe to enter my credit card information into the Gem Store?
A: Yes. Your credit card information is securely transferred to our servers with the same protections used by the most secure online retailers.
Q: What happens to the gems that I purchase during BWE3? Do I get to keep them?
A: All beta data will be completely wiped before launch, including the gems purchased during beta events. However, we will keep track of how many gems you purchased during Beta Weekend Event 3, and you will receive that amount of gems on your account once Guild Wars 2 launches.
Q: Will I keep the items that I purchased with the gems?
A: No, all beta data will be completely wiped before launch, including the items you purchased during beta events. However, we will keep track of how many gems you purchased during Beta Weekend Event 3, and you will receive that amount of gems on your account once Guild Wars 2 launches.
Q: Will I get to keep gems I got from the currency exchange after the beta?
A: No, all beta data will be completely wiped before launch, including the items you purchased or exchanged during beta events. We only maintain a record of the amount of gems you purchase during Beta Weekend Event 3 via credit card or PayPal, and you will receive that amount of gems on your account once Guild Wars 2 launches.
Q: I bought something with my gems, but I don’t want it anymore. Can I get my gems back?
A: No. Once you spend your gems on something in the Gem Store, you cannot get a refund for the transaction. However, we will keep track of how many gems you purchased during Beta Weekend Event 3, and you will receive that amount of gems on your account once Guild Wars 2 launches.
Q: I decided that I do not want the gems I have purchased. Is there a way to get my money back?
A: Please contact Customer Support.

[chaos5061]

KNOWN ISSUES: BETA WEEKEND EVENT 3

Black Lion Trading Company
The tabs of the panel may load slowly when first opened.
Character Slot Expansions are currently unavailable.
Users can purchase Bag Slot Expansions and Bank Tab Expansions even when the maximum number of expansions have already been purchased.
Events
Brisban Wildlands: In the event called “Help the Priory return the energy core to the Henge of Denravi,” NPC Researcher Elspeth Andryan may not spawn, stalling the event chain.
Metrica Province: On rare occasions, the veteran chaos creature may get stuck in a nearby structure, stalling the “Kill the chaos creature” event.
Metrica Province: During the “Destroy the hylek village and help the Lionguard recover their stolen supplies” event, players may become stuck in a destroyed hylek hut.
Queensdale: On occasion, the centaurs encountered during the “Battle for Beetletun” event may become stuck on the sprinklers.
Queensdale: Guard Barthol may display the event icon before the “Defend Barthol on his way to the Old Armory” event is ready to begin. During the event, he might not engage enemies, in which case the player must eliminate them in order for the event to progress.
Queensdale: Fiona Hastings retains her merchant icon and label after the “Defend the beehives from hungry bears” event restarts, and her ability to buy and sell items is disabled.
Guilds
The preview feature in the Emblemer panel does not function as intended.
Hardware Compatibility
On older or lower-end machines, it is recommended that you try disabling reflections and shadows to improve frame rate.
Forcing anti-aliasing through AMD Catalyst™ Control Center or AMD VISION™ Engine Control Center typically results in a black screen when playing.
Windows TDR (Timeout Detection and Recovery) will sometimes restart a user’s graphics drivers if they become unresponsive, resulting in a notification that the graphics driver has been restarted.
Currently, adjusting the core clock speed of the GPU or CPU typically results in lower performance.
It is advised that you leave core clock speeds at factory defaults.
AMD CrossFire™ and NVIDIA® SLI™ are not currently supported.
These features should be disabled while running the game.
Enabling NVIDIA 3D VISION® may cause a crash on some systems.
If you experience a crash while this setting is enabled, it is recommended that you disable it in the NVIDIA Control Panel.
AMD Eyefinity Technology is not officially supported at this time, and players using systems with Eyefinity enabled may encounter problems.
If you experience issues while using Eyefinity, it is recommended that you disable the feature in the AMD Catalyst Control Center or AMD VISION Engine Control Center.
Objects in the game world may momentarily render incorrectly or “pop” in and out.
This is a temporary side effect of our ongoing optimization, and should be corrected by moving the in-game camera.
NPCs
Occasionally, multiple NPCs may overlap with each other while walking.
Interacting with walking NPCs may cause them to stop, disappear, and then reappear at another point in their path.
Parties
Occasionally, parties may not function as expected.
PvP
On rare occasions, teams may be redirected to the PvP lobby while participating in a PvP tournament.
If this occurs during a paid tournament, members of the affected teams will each be given a tournament ticket.
Some PvP reward items are mislabeled or cannot be placed in the PvP Locker.
Renown Regions
Queensdale: On rare occasions, the shell game in the "Support the citizens of Beetletun " renown region may not function correctly.
Queensdale: Players cannot engage the Sword Drill Sergeant NPC in the “Train with the militia” renown region.
Story
On very rare occasions, player progress in tutorials may be blocked before reaching the boss encounter.
In an attempt to be placed into a new instance of the tutorial, players should leave the map before continuing, either by exiting to the character-select screen or by logging out and logging back in to the client.
Occasionally, the Destroyer Matriarch in the asura story chapter “Gadd’s Last Gizmo” will fail to destroy all of the containment vessels, blocking player progress.
If this occurs, players should leave the instance and try again.
World Transfer
After performing a world transfer, players are taken to the log-in screen, but are unable to log back in.
Players must close the client and reopen it in order to log in again.
WvW
Keeper of the Orb NPCs cannot be engaged in combat and Orbs of Power cannot be captured.
In the green team’s Borderland map, Bluebriar tower is initially controlled by the red team instead of the blue team.
Zealots granted by some objective upgrades may be mislabeled as guards.
In the Eternal Battlegrounds jumping puzzle, torches and skills do not emit light.
LOCALIZATION KNOWN ISSUES

Black Lion Trading Company
Some tabs of the panel are only partially localized and will be displayed in English.
Some text in the panel is cut off.

General
Some audio has not been updated to match the corresponding subtitles.
Some French and German audio has not yet been recorded and will play in English, particularly in the asura and sylvari regions.
In the asura and sylvari regions, some text has not yet been translated and will display in English.
Anytime female player characters address themselves or are addressed by an NPC with nouns like “friend,” “shaman,” “hero,” etc., the voiced audio may not reflect the gender correctly. The subtitles should, however, reflect the correct gender.
The names and descriptions of some skills and items may be inaccurate.